Jar cap or closure.



E. D. SCHMITT.

JAR CAP 0R CLOSURE.

APPLICATION FILED June. 1908.

Patented Sept. 7, 1909.

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Svmnutoz El/vi tn use:

UNITED STATES PATENT oFEroE.

EDWARD n. SCHMITT, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR To FRANK G. TURNER, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

JAR CA]? GR cLosuRE.

933,347. specifieathfi of Letters Patent Patented Sept. 7, 1909.

Application filed January 23, 1908. Serial No. 412,285.

of a hard metal flanged cap or securing member of peculiar formation containing a gasket, ring, or sealing member of compressible material adapted, when the cap 1s applied to make sealing contact with the upper edge or lip of a specially formed jar.

My object is to provide a cap adapted for use upon fruit jars or jars in which fruits or vegetables or other food and to provide such a seal that will permit the material or food product to be cooked in be subjected to this pressure.

- this pressure in such a way that the sealing the receptacle without breaking the seal, 'notwithstanding the considerable internal-pressure generated within the receptacle during thecooking process. As just suggested, the receptacles which I desire to seal have large mouths and consequently the cap presents a very considerable area or surface which will My purpose is to provide a cap thatwill take and distribute contact between the sealing member and the glass or lip of the jar will not be broken, and a cap that will'permit ofa certain 'degree of movement of its central portion without appreciable movement of that ortion that makes the seal forms an essential feature of my invention. Other objects and advantages of the in vention, in view ofthe' purposes to be accomplished will become apparent in the course of the following description.

In the drawings illustrating the inven vent-ion; Figure 1 is a sectional view of a jar to which I purpose to a ply the cap; Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the upper part of the jar with the cap applied thereto and locked, the cap being also in section: Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the cap taken about on line a-a, Fig. 4; Fig. 4 is a bottom plan View and Fig. 5 1s a side'elevation of the upper part of the jar neck with'the cap applied, showing more .clearly how the. flange of the seal is indented or crimped at interproducts are packed, 1

vals into locking engagement with the locking shoulder. of the jar.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the jar, having the construction which adapts it for use with the cap about to be described. This jar is ,provided with an annular bead 2 having a locking surface or shoulder 3 below the medial line thereof. The outside formation does not differ materially from the formation of the necks of beer and other bottles now commonly in use, in which caps of the crown type are applied. The seal is made between the upper edge of the jar and a compressible sealng member or gasket which is contained in the metallic securing member or cap as will appear.

The numeral 4 designates what I will hereinafter designate as the securing memher, or the cap. This is made of hard metal having a depending flange 5 which fits over the bead on the jar and is adapted to be indented or crimped at 'intervals onto the locking surface of the bead, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. The cap is seated upon the jar by a suitable machine exerting 'suflicient pressure to compress the sealing member firmly upon the edge of the jar, when, by a suitable locking mechanism, the flange is indented .at intervals for locking purposes. The securing member is formed with an annular channel 6 which is entered by the lip or'upper edge of the jar when theseal is applied, and in this channel I place a sealing member 7 preferably a rubber ring or gasket although. it is to be understood that this sealing member may be of any material found to be best suited to make sealing contact with the top of the jar. The channel is formed with a short inner vertical wall 8 which is continued downward to form an inclined portion 9, which, when the cap is applied to the bottle, is adapted to engage the interior surface of the wall of the edge of the jar at about the point a for v I a purpose which I will make clear later on. The central port-ion of the cap inclines slightly upward from the lower end of the bearing part 9 to the center, so that the internal pressure from within the jar will be directed toward the center of the cap or to that point at which it will have the least tendency to disturb or break the seal either between' the part 9 and the interior wall of the jar mouth or between. the sealing member and the upper edge of the jar.

Radiating from the center of the cap are a plurality of ribs, 11, which intersect at their pointed ends with the portion 9, producmg a starshaped brace. These ribs brace the cap centrally and greatly strengthen the same at a point where the cap will be subjected to the greatest pressure and may permit a slight movement of .the material of the cap between the ribs when necessary.

When the cap is applied the inclined portion 9 is brought forcefully against the incl'med surface of the interior wall of the jar and 'upon the downward movement of the cap an auxiliary seal is formed between the metal of the cap at this point and the glass of the jar, whichseal; while not intended to be hermetic, serves an advantageous purpose in addition to the main seal, which is effected between the compressible sealing member and the edge of the jar. When the internal pressure bears against the central portion of the cap, it will have ajtende'ncy to lift this part of the cap and were it not for the peculiar formation of this securing member, it would lift the cap from thebottle resulting of course, in a failure of the seal. However, duein part to the fact of the formation of the central portion of the cap, and the portion adjacent to the inner wall 8 thereof, the central portion may be moved considerably upward without breaking the seal. The amount of metal in the central portion of the cap and the provision of the inclined portion 9, permits the central portion of the cap to move independently of its outer edge, where the seal is effected. It

will be seen that the'central portion of the cap may move considerably, but the movement will be distributed over the material of the cap, between the points a, which will not be disadvanta eously effected.

The cap is appd siderably in excess of the pressure likely to be developed within the jar in the steaming process, thus bringing the inclined portion 9 of the cap into firm engagement with the inclined surface within the mouth of the jar,

ied with a pressure conso that any pressure likely to be developed will not break the seal between the portion 9 and said inclined surface within the jar.

Claims,

1. A closure for jars or bottles, comprising a metal cap formed with an outer contacting flange and an inner contacting-wall, a sealin'g-memb'er seated between said flange and wall, said cap having a central portion adapted to expand under the influence of internal pressure when applied to the receptacle.

2. The combination with the neck of a jar or bottle having an inclined inner surface, of a metal closure or cap formed with an outer flange adapted to make sealing-contact with the outer surface of the neck, and with an inner wall adaptedto make sealing-con tact with the inner inclined surface of said neck, a sealing-member seated between said flange and wall, said cap having a central portion adapted to expand under the influence of internal pressure during the process of cooking,whil e sealed.

3. A closure for jars or bottles, comprising a metal cap formed with an outer contactin flange and an inner contacting-wall, a sea ing-member seated between said flange and wall, said cap having a central portion provided with V-shape ribs and adapted to expand under the influence of external pressure when applied to the receptacle.

4. The combination with the neck of a jar or bottle having aninclined inner surface, of a metal closure or cap formed with an outer flange adapted to make sealing-contact with .the outer surface of the neck, and witlran inner wall adapted to make sealing contact with the inner inclined surface of said neck, a sealing-member seated between said flange and wall, said cap havin a central portion provided with V-shape ribs and adapted to expandunder the influence of external pressure, during the process of cooking, while sealed. v

'In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD D. SCHMITT.

\Vitnesses:

TITIAN W. JoHNsoN, HOWARD D. ADAMS. 

